Olympic Dreams
by AngelMouse5
Summary: The Ducks recieve an unusual request and some interesting guests


Disclaimer: I don't own the Ducks. Disney does. Wish I did though. This is a little thought that came to me mainly from my own Olympic Experience. Enjoy. 

Olympic Dreams 

By Mouse. 

Phil called them into the office, his expression pleased. Wildwing immediately became defensive. Whenever Phil got this happy, it was a sign for the ducks to literally `duck and cover'! But Phil wasn't alone in his office; another man was there with him. 

"Guys, I want you to meet Mr Roger Logan. He's from the American Winter Olympic committee and he has a proposal for you to here." 

"What is it Phil? And what are the Winter Olympics anyway?" Phil grinned at the ducks leader. 

"You'll love it Wildwing, trust me." 

"That's usually our queue to run isn't it?" Wing tried really hard not to smile at his brother's remark. Mr Logan cleared his throat and began speaking. 

"We want the ducks to try out for the American ice hockey team that will be competing in the winter Olympics at Salt Lake City in 2002. You would be competing against hockey players from all over the country and only the best would be chosen to represent the country." 

"Sounds like a lot of hassle. Has it occurred to you Mr Logan that we're not American citizens? From my understanding you have to be to compete in the Olympics. We're not even human." 

"Excellent point Mr l'Orange. We've taken that into consideration and have applied to have a special exemption made for you. The IOC have agreed to consider it once a special committee of IOC delegates have come here, meet all of you and make a recommendation. It's a three-member committee. Basically they'll meet you, watch you practice and play a few games, interview you as a team and individually to see if you meet the Olympic standard and ideals. They will then deliberate and make a recommendation to the IOC who'll then decide if you're allowed to participate. That is providing you pass the selection tryouts." Wildwing frowned. 

"That's all well and good Mr Logan, but we play as a team and try out as a team, otherwise it's no go. From what we can tell from watching the recent Olympics on television, this is a big deal to the whole world. I'm not sure if we would like being identified with one country." 

"I'm sure we could address those concerns when they arise Wildwing. The main thing is to get your agreement to have this committee visit." Wildwing thought for a moment and turned to look at the rest of the team. 

"What do you guys think? Do you want to give this committee visit a shot?" 

"Oh come on man, it'll be great. The Olympics are really cool Wing, literally. It'd be a blast!" Wildwing shook his head at his brother's enthusiasm and looked at Duke. 

"Doesn't bother me, be nice to have a change from fighting Dragonus." 

"Sounds interesting. Why not." He nodded at Mallory and turned to Tanya. 

"Um, sounds fun." He looked at the last member and as usual couldn't read anything in Grin's expression but the largest duck just nodded. He turned to Mr Logan and Phil. 

"Okay, send the committee. We'll deal with the rest later." Mr Logan and Phil both broke out into identical smiles and immediately wing started to think this was a bad idea. 

Three weeks later 

The ducks were gathered in the foyer of the pond. The three-member IOC committee had flown in yesterday and was scheduled to come to the pond today for the first preliminary meeting. Logan's car pulled up and they got out. The committee was made up of two men and one woman and Duke whistled appreciatively. 

"Not bad." Nosedive just grinned and elbowed Duke to be quiet. They both assumed semi-serious expressions when Wildwing glared at them. Mr Logan walked in followed by the three delegates. 

"Mr Palmfeather, Ducks. I'd like to introduce the delegates to you." The three people stepped forward as he spoke. "This is Herr Erik Haus, from Germany. He's a gold medal winner in Luge." The German clicked his heels together and nodded his head. The ducks returned it. "This is Mr Hiro Isomoto from Japan. He won bronze in speed skating." The elderly gentleman bowed and they returned that as well. He then pointed to the woman and they could detect just a trace of disdain in his voice but the woman seemed not to care. "And this is Miss Jessica Riley from Australia. She won Gold in freestyle figure skating at the last games." She broke out into a broad grin and when she spoke her accent was firmly in place. 

"Hello. Nice to meet you all." Phil stepped forward and shook her outstretched hand. 

"Nice to meet you all as well. Everyone please call me Phil. I'm the ducks manager. Let me introduce you to the ducks." He motioned each one of them forward. "This is Wildwing, Nosedive, his younger brother. Duke L'Orange. Grin. Tanya and Mallory." As Phil said their names each of them came forward and shook hands with all the delegates. Jessica rolled her eyes at Wildwing, understanding how stiff and formal the atmosphere was. Wildwing immediately decided he liked the Australian, it seemed she had a sense of humour about the whole situation. 

"Great. We've got lunch set out and ready to go. I thought a nice informal lunch would get us all off on the right foot." 

Three hours later and Wildwing was ready to kill their manager. Haus and Isomoto had done nothing but fire question after question at them about Hockey on Puck World and lots of questions that didn't seem relevant to them playing hockey in the Olympics. Riley didn't speak much, and when she did the others generally ignored her. Wildwing studied her out of the corner of his eye and tried to figure out what was going on with the three of them. Logan didn't like her for some reason and the others seemed to not hold her in high regard either. He resolved to try and find out, something didn't feel right about those two guys. And besides, he didn't like to see someone ignored. The delegates and Logan got up to leave; they were coming back in the morning to watch them practice. They went down to the foyer and the men got in the waiting car, but Riley held back a moment and spoke to Phil. After he nodded she smiled and got in the car as well. They drove away and Wildwing looked at Phil. 

"What was that about Phil?" 

"She wanted to know if she could come back later and use the pond to have a skate. I said it would be okay. You don't have practice tonight and no game, so someone might as well use it." 

"Oh, okay. Thanks Phil." Their manager smiled and walked off towards his office. The ducks headed back towards the rec room and Dive fell into step besides his brother. 

"Is it just me or were those three dudes totally ignoring Jessie?" During lunch she had stressed that they all call her Jessie. 

"No, I noticed it to Dive. It's weird, you think they would treat each other better since they're all athletes." 

"Yeah, and those dudes were way older than her." 

"And those questions they asked. That Isomoto guy kept on about all our advanced technology." Wildwing frowned at Tanya and then Mallory spoke up. 

"And the German kept asking me about our weapons and fighting Dragonus. None of the stuff they asked was very Olympic or Hockey orientated." 

"Are we sure that they were human?" They all stopped in their tracks at Duke's question. But Tanya smiled. 

"They were human. I installed sensors at all the entrances to the pond to detect saurian life forms, so you don't have to worry about that." They all breathed a sigh of relief and continued on. Wing picked up where they left off. 

"Tanya, I want you to use Drake one and find out all you can on our three delegates. And Logan as well, there's something about that guy that I just don't like." 

It was about 10 that night when Dive started nosing about the kitchen. He'd been watching re-runs of star trek with Tanya and had gotten the munchies. He pulled out some left over pasta from dinner and was about to heat it up when he heard Wildwing walking along the corridor towards the rink. Deciding that curiosity outweighed hunger for the moment he followed his brother. 

"Hey bro, what ya doing?" 

"Phil just let Jessie in, I thought I might watch for a few minutes before going to bed." 

"Can I come to?" 

"Sure, I don't see why not. But I don't want to disturb her, so we'll watch from the tunnel okay?" 

"Sure bro. Lead the way." Grinning at his brother he walked along and put his arm around Dive's shoulder. They didn't nearly get to spend as much time together as they would like. They reached the edge of the tunnel and hung back in the shadows. The lights were on in the rink itself and just around the outside edge of it. They saw Jessie reaching into a bag and pulling out a pair of skates. 

She was dressed in a short green skirt over a black leotard and a green t-shirt. Her long black hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her skates were white. She pulled out a tape and inserted it into the tape player that Phil had left out for her. She made sure her skates were on tight and then stepped onto the ice. She went round a few times, warming up. She went through a pretty good warm up routine, full of twists and turns. They watched in silence, as she seemed to glide over the ice. Her expression was one of pure joy, as if she absolutely loved what she was doing. She finished doing a couple of laps around the rink and skated over to the tape player. She checked to see if the tape was rewound and then hit the play button. She skated out to the centre of the rink and posed. Then the music started. 

Wildwing and Nosedive just stood there, awestruck. They had seen figure skating before but this was something else. She seemed to be floating across the ice and through the air. Both of them held their breath as she executed a perfect triple spin and landed, leg outstretched on the ice safely. The music wafted over the ice and it seemed that she and it were one. 

"You can see why she won gold can't you?" 

"Yeah. Dive, that music, who is it?" Dive flashed his big brother a quick grin. 

"Its called Affirmation by Savage Garden. There an Australian group that has really taken off all round the world. Pretty cool song huh?" 

"Yes. Very cool song little bro." They watched and listened as the song wound down and her routine came to an end. Breathing hard she skated back to the tape player and turned it off. Looking up as if sensing them there she suddenly grinned and waved them out. Caught, the two brothers walked towards her. 

"G'day guys. Enjoy the show?" They both had the grace to look embarrassed. She smiled at them both and motioned them over. "Don't worry about it guys, I'm flattered that you took the time to watch me practice. What did you think?" 

"It was great. So very graceful." She wiped her face with a towel and took a sip of water. 

"Thank you Wildwing. Nosedive, what do you think please?" 

"Awesome. Totally awesome. And the music was cool to." She laughed. It was a soft, tinkling kind of laugh and she looked genuinely pleased. She put the towel and water bottle back in her bag. 

"Thank you. That means a lot coming from you two. May I ask a question?" 

"Sure." When she spoke she waved out to the ice in a general direction. 

"You two act like that you've never seen anything like that before." Wildwing smiled and leaned against the railing. 

"On Puck world we call it Ice Dancing but not many people do it. It's a little bit harder to do if you're a duck. But what we just, that was so beautiful." She blushed and smiled. 

"Thank you. That was a variation on my gold medal routine last games." 

"Are you competing next games?" Abruptly her face saddened and she shook her head. 

"No. I can't compete any more." Dive, ever the model of tact, spoke up. 

"Why not? You're certainly good enough!" 

"Thank you Dive. Unfortunately about 18 months ago I had a car accident and my ankle was broken in a few places. I can't compete any more as the strain of constant practice for a minimum of five hours a day is too much for my ankle. The occasional skates like this are okay, and sometimes I do exhibitions but mostly I coach and work with the IOC." 

"Sorry I asked Jessie, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." She grinned at Dive. 

"That's okay Dive. It happened a while ago and it's only in the last year that I've been able to skate anywhere near my previous level." 

"You said you do exhibition skating? What's that?" She took another sip of water before answering. 

"Usually if I've been asked to judge a competition or take one of my students to a meet, sometimes they ask me to skate, gives them something to aim for. And it's nice to see that I've still got the ability to stop a crowd in its tracks." She laughed at that and they joined her. Wildwing then had an idea. 

"Um, I know this will sound a bit of an imposition, but we have a hockey match tomorrow night and would you like to perform at halftime? Give the crowd something nice instead of a violent game of hockey?" Her answering smile was like the sun coming up. 

"I'd love to. I'm honoured you asked me Wildwing. Thank you." 

"Great. It's all settled then." 

"Hey Wing, you gonna tell Phil?" Wildwing groaned and smiled at his little brother. 

"Yes Dive, I'll tell Phil." 

The next morning they gathered by Drake One and Tanya looked at them. 

"Well, I've got the results of the background checks you asked me to do Wildwing." 

"Good. I want to get to the bottom of this straight away. Let's start with the good Mr Roger Logan." 

"Well, he is on the American Winter Olympic Committee, but before taking up that appointment he was a board member on a company with defence contracts for the United States Army. He has quite a large stock portfolio in a few companies specialising in defence technologies. Also according to this he recommended which delegates were to be sent here, but was overruled on his third choice. Hmm, do you think that might be Jessie?" 

"Could be. Okay, Herr Haus." 

"Almost reads the same, except he started out as an athlete then went into administration of his sport. Has assorted holdings in various defence companies in about a dozen European countries." 

"Am I the only one detecting a pattern here guys?" 

"No, you're not Malloray. What about Mr Isomoto?" 

"He was a little more different. But basically the same as Herr Haus. Had a moderately successful career as an athlete, went into administration of his sport. Now this is what struck me as interesting, he has a large number of interests in various electronics companies in Japan." 

"So, we have three people with defence and electronic interests. This is starting to get complicated. What about Jessie?" 

"Well, nothing outstanding there. Started skating when she was young, became Australian champion at age 13, made the Winter Olympic team at 14. Won bronze at her first games and then four years later at age 18 won gold in freestyle skating. She spent most of her time at the Australian Institute of Sport and then 18 months ago she had a car accident that ended her career. She now coaches at the institute. Nothing remarkable except a great career cut short." 

"That tallies up with what she told us last night. I think we can safely say she's on the level. It's the others we have to be wary off. Duke, when are they due to arrive?" 

"In about 30 minutes. Why, what have you got planned?" 

"Well, when they get here, we're not going to play their little game. Mallory, you and Duke will show Herr Haus around. Show him everything but our weapons and technology, only talk about Hockey and that's it. Let's frustrate them so much that they blurt something out that there not supposed to. Tanya, you and I will show Mr Isomoto around. Same thing. That leaves Nosedive and Grin to show Jessie around. That way, we'll stop them from getting any information that we don't want them to have." 

"We're probably going to make them angry." This prospect didn't seem to worry Duke. 

"Good Duke. Let's make them angry and see if they'll let slip something. Oh, you can have Mr Logan as well. Let's make sure he gets the message loud and clear." 

It was early afternoon when the Ducks assembled again. The delegates and Mr Logan had spent a very frustrating day not getting anywhere with the Ducks and had left with barely concealed anger. Wildwing looked around at his teammates. 

"Well, how did it go?" Duke grinned evilly and Mallory smirked. 

"Well, you were right on the money Wildwing. They both pestered us about our fight with Dragonus, wanted to see our weapons and Logan practically said that if we supplied them with weapons technology then we would be handsomely rewarded." Wildwing frowned and looked at the others. 

"Mr Isomoto wasn't so blatant. He kept asking various technical questions of Tanya." 

"Yeah, he seemed interested in any miniaturisation technology we might have. He kept trying to get a look at Drake One but we wouldn't let him. He seemed to get frustrated but we couldn't get anything out of him. He barely asked us about Hockey. Did any of them ask about hockey?" Nosedive grinned at him. 

"Jessie wanted to know all about it. Apparently Ice Hockey isn't that big in Australia and the whole thing fascinated her. She said that she's really looking forward to her performance tonight. She said she'll be back in about an hour or so to get ready." The assorted ducks all looked at Wildwing. 

"What performance?" 

"Last night Dive and I watched Jessie practice and she was good. Very good. So I asked her would she like to skate tonight at halftime, give the crowd some culture instead of violence of the match. Phil said it was okay. Anything to bring in more money." They all laughed at that and Duke looked thoughtfully around him. 

"Just a thought Wildwing but maybe it would be a good idea to set full security tonight on the lair, you know, just in case." 

"Very good idea Duke. Tanya, make sure that everything is secure tonight before we go to the match. Phil said that the delegates are coming to watch us tonight." 

"Not a problem Wildwing. I'll program it now, since it's almost game time." With practiced ease Tanya quickly programmed Drake One to ensure their security. 

Jessica put her skate bag on the floor in the main room and went back into the bathroom. Humming to herself she pulled her long hair back and into a loose bun. Smiling to herself she walked back into the main room of her hotel when there was a knock on the door. She walked over and opened it. Roger Logan was standing there. 

"Mr Logan, is there something I can do for you?" He smiled and she immediately became wary. Ever since she had been told about this assignment she had encountered nothing but disdain and sometimes out right hostility from the other members of the delegation. 

"May I come in? I have something I need to ask you." She looked at him and just shrugged, she had no reason not to let him in. She moved aside and he came and she closed the door behind him. She followed him into her main room and looked at him. 

"Okay, what is it that you want Mr Logan?" He looked at the bag on the floor and then back at her. 

"You're going back to the Pond?" 

"Yes. Wildwing asked me to do an exhibition skate for them tonight. As we are intruding on their daily lives, I could do no less. Besides, it'll give me a chance to perform before an American audience, something I haven't done." She crossed her arms. "You still haven't said what you want Mr Logan." He looked at her and then smiled again. 

"You seem to have established quite a rapport with the Ducks. That hasn't escaped our notice. We're hoping that you can do something for us." She frowned, she didn't like where this was heading. 

"Yes I have. Mainly because I'm not trying to get something from them and I'm treating them like intelligent beings. Something I don't see you or the others doing." 

"Good. We want you to get a look at something for us." 

"No." She was getting angry, she couldn't believe he was asking her this. 

"Just wait before you answer. I can make it worth your while. We want you to try and get a look at their computer, and try and get the specs for it." She shook her head. 

"No. I won't be a party to you and your pals trying to rip the ducks off for your own personal gain. I'm not like you and those others. So forget it. Nothing you can say will make me change my mind." He advanced towards her, his face contorted with anger. 

"You will get us that information or you will regret it." He grabbed her arm. With a speed that astonished him she twisted free and stepped away from him. She took up a karate stance and stared daggers at him. 

"You get out of here right now, otherwise I'll knock you senseless and call security on you." He stared at her but could see that she meant it. He moved to the door and opened it. But he couldn't resist throwing one last threat. 

"You'll regret the what you've done here." 

"I've never regretted anything. And you should know better." He looked at her and closed the door behind him. She let out the breath she had been holding and looked at the door for a moment. Shaking herself out of her reverie she moved over to it and quickly locked. She went to her bag and got out her mobile. She quickly dialled a number and spoke. 

"You were right. He just approached me. Practically had to knock him out to get his paws off me. Carry out your plan?" She nodded. "I think the Ducks realise what there up to. Permission to bring at least one of them in on it?" She listened some more. "Sir, I really think that they will help with this. And it will add to my cover as well." She waited and looked around her room. "Thank you sir. I'll call you to let you know what happens." She hung the phone up and went over to the phone in her room. She quickly dialled the number that Wildwing had given her earlier to call the ducks. After pressing a few buttons she eventually got through to Nosedive. 

"Hey Dive, its Jessie. I was wondering if I could impose and get either you or Wildwing to come pick me up. Seems I can't get the hire car for the night and I've got buckley's of getting a taxi." She listened for his reply and smiled. "Thanks Nosedive, I appreciate it. Ten minutes? Great. See you then." She hung up the phone and sighed. Everything was set and it all now depended on her persuading Wildwing to help. She just hoped she was up to the task. 

The migrator rolled along Anaheim streets with Nosedive at the wheel. Wildwing looked at his brother. 

"So she specifically asked for either you or me. Interesting." 

"Yeah. It sounded like she was making excuses up on the spot for us to come and get her. Do you think it's something to do with those others?" 

"I have no idea Dive. But I think we're about to find out. Isn't that her standing there?" 

"Yep." With a screech of the oversize tires Dive pulled the migrator up outside the hotel. Jessie just shook her head and grinned up at Wildwing as he opened the hatch. 

"You blokes don't believe in quiet entrances do you?" 

"The bigger the entrance, the better the ratings." He motioned her to join them inside and laughing she did so. Wildwing sealed the hatch behind her and Nosedive headed back to the pond. He sat back down in his chair and looked at her. Now that she was with them she let her smile fade and looked at them both seriously. 

"What's wrong Jessie? Why did you need us to come get you?" 

"Wildwing, what I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this car okay? I'm going out on a limb here and trusting you both a lot. But I think it's the only thing I can do to complete my assignment." 

"Whoa, you telling' us you're a spy or something Jessie?" She laughed. 

"No, nothing like that. But I am an investigator. Let me explain very quickly." She leaned back in her chair and looked at them both. "As you know, the Winter Olympics are being held in 2002 at Salt Lake City. But what you may not know is that there is an ongoing investigation into bribery and corruption amongst IOC delegates and members. A select few and myself are carrying out that investigation. Some of us covertly, others out in the open. I was chosen for this assignment because I'm a relatively new IOC delegate and plus I'm Australian, we pride ourselves in being fair and honest. My boss knew I couldn't be bribed without someone getting themselves a broken arm or something." She grinned evilly as she said that and Wildwing raised an eyebrow. "What's not commonly known is that beside being a champion skater, I've also got a couple of blackbelts in karate and aikido. So, you don't want to sneak up on me on a dark night." She laughed at that and then sobered. "Anyway, it's been suspected for sometime that some of the delegates are taking kickbacks from various organisations and as you've no doubt discovered, the rest of the delegation and Mr Logan all have defence interests and the like." 

"Yes, we did do a background check on them. Something didn't strike us as being quite right." She grinned. 

"Good. Hope my background was okay." Wildwing had the grace to blush slightly under the mask. 

"If that's your not so subtle way of asking did we do one on you, then yes, we did." 

"Good. I'd expect nothing less. Anyway, to the point. Not even fifteen minutes ago Logan approached me saying that if I could get the specs for your computer then it would be worth my while. I refused and he tried to intimidate me. He got the point pretty clearly that I wouldn't be intimidated. So, as he left my room he made some vague threats. He and the others really want your technology and our sources think that while the match is on tonight they are going to try and break into the Pond and either steal the computer or break in for it's specs. So, I need your help to catch them at it." 

"We have already taken precautions for that Jessie. We've already set the defences around Drake One, they should capture any intruders with absolutely no hassles." She frowned. 

"Are you sure about that?" 

"Yes. Our defences are designed with Dragonus and his henchmen in mind, so a couple of humans shouldn't be a problem." She sighed. 

"I hope so, for you sake." She leaned back in her chair and smiled at them slightly. "Oh well, we'll find out later. From the look on Logan's face I wouldn't be surprised if it will take place either during my skating or the second half of the match." 

"Well, don't worry about it. We haven't let anyone outsmart us yet." She couldn't help but laugh at Nosedive's tone and shook her head. 

"Why do I get the feeling I should worry?" 

Forty minutes later and the hockey match was underway. Jessie sat with Phil in the player's box and watched the match with interest. Nosedive had explained some of the rules to her earlier that day and she watched with fascinated interest the match playing before her. She had fired off a few questions to Phil and then settled in to watch the match. She was amazed by the skills that the ducks were showing. She winced as Nosedive was checked against the boards but he got up and seemed okay. Grin immediately checked the guys that got Nosedive. The crowd roared in appreciation. She shook her head at the crowd's enthusiasm. She turned to Phil. 

"Noisy aren't they!" 

"Yep! And this is just the warm up season. Just wait until the finals." The crowd roared again as Duke scored a goal. She grinned at Phil. 

"And I thought the crowds at the footy got noisy. How long before half time?" 

"About ten minutes." 

"I have to go get changed. I'll be back in a minute." He waved at her and she shook her head. He was busy adding up figures on his calculator. She moved out into the change rooms and opened her bag. She took out her skates and her costume. Sighing she took off her jumper and quickly got changed. A few minutes later she was lacing up her skates and she straightened up. She did a quick stretch to loosen up a few kinks and grabbing the tape she wanted played she put a jacket on to keep her warm and went back out to Phil. He smiled at her and she handed him the tape. 

"This is what I want played. Tell them to start it when I'm in the middle." 

"Sure thing Jessie." He walked off to go to the control room. She did a quick couple of stretches again to keep loose and watched the match with interest. The Ducks had tied the score at 2 all. Just then the siren sounded and the two teams headed back to their respective boxes. The Ducks all piled in and removed helmets and leant their sticks against the boards. Jessie smiled at them all. 

"You guys are really good. I never knew that this game could get so intense. It's almost like watching the footy back home." 

"Footy?" 

"Australian Rules Football. Only game there is." She grinned evilly at them. Nosedive groaned as he unscrewed the cap on his drink bottle. 

"I don't think we want to know. You going to do your bit now Jessie." 

"Certainly am. Wish me luck." 

"Luck." The ducks chorused. She took off her jacket and they all gasped. Grinning at their reactions she skated out onto the ice. She did a couple of laps around the ice and was pleased by the murmur of appreciation she got from the crowd. She was in a bright green leotard and skirt and on it, in bright white and yellow stars, was the Southern Cross. She skated into the middle of the rink and posed. 

"Ladies and Gentleman. We have a special treat for you tonight. Visiting from Australia, Olympic Freestyle Figure Skating Champion, Miss Jessica Riley is going to perform for you entertainment at half time." With that the music started and she began. 

You say that you never had a mum 

And nobody needs you So cry, so cry 

You believe that life rolls by Just to deceive you 

By your time, by your time You're getting old 

And the longer you take The slower your pain will grow 

It will grow, it will grow 

You can close your eyes And hope that when you open them 

You've got a brand new life Do you find, you can't hide? 

You can give your life 

You can lose your soul 

You can bang your head 

Or you can drown in hole 

Nothing lasts forever 

But you can try 

Look around you 

Everyone you see 

Everyone you know 

Is going to Shine 

Grow up and make the best of what you've got 

Of what you've got, Of what you've got 

The days are going by and you're sittin' on your arse 

And you're wondering why, why, why, yeah 

You can give your life, or 

You can lose your soul 

You can bang your head 

Or you can drown in a hole 

Nothing lasts forever 

But you can try 

Look around you 

Everyone you see 

Everyone you know 

Is going to Shine 

You can bang your head 

Or you can drown in a hole 

Nothing lasts forever 

But you can try 

Look around you 

Everyone you see 

Everyone you know 

Is going to Shine 

You say that you never had a mum 

And nobody needs you 

So cry, so cry, so cry 

You believe that life rolls by just to deceive you 

By your time, well by your time 

Your getting old 

And the longer you take the slower you'll pain will grow 

It'll grow, it'll grow 

You can close your eyes 

And hope that when you open them 

You've got a brand new life 

You can give your life 

or You can lose your soul 

You can bang your head 

Or you can drown in a hole 

Nothing lasts forever 

But you can try 

Look around you Everyone you see 

Everyone you know 

Is going to Shine 

You can bang your head 

Or you can drown in a hole 

Nothing lasts forever 

But you can try 

Well look around you 

Everyone you see 

Everyone you know 

Is going to Shine 

Don't don't, don't don't you do it 

As the music weaved in and out of the crowd she glided over the ice. When the chorus came she leapt into the air with a triple spin that left the crowd gasping at the height she got. Landing on her feet she skated around the edge of the ice, weaving in and out like a bird through the clouds. She spun around and raising her arms above her head she spun faster and faster and faster. Lowering her arms she spun gracefully out into graceful arc, one leg stretched out behind her and arms out by her side. She straightened up and arcing gracefully again she ended up in the middle of the rink, spinning slowly as the music faded out. She came to a stop and the crowd erupted in applause and rose to their feet. Face flushed with excitement she smiled and bowed. She waved to the crowd and started skating back towards the benches when the crowd started yelling. 

"MORE! MORE! MORE!" She waved her thanks but shook her head. She gave one final wave and bow and went back into the ducks box. Mallory handed her a drink while Duke put her jacket around her shoulders. They were all looking at her with newfound respect. 

"That was marvellous Jessie. I've never seen anyone move that gracefully." 

"Thank you Tanya." 

"That was totally awesome Jessie. Why don't you do another routine? The crowd certainly would love you to." She smiled at them all. 

"Thank Wildwing. You don't know what that means to me. But I can't. Now, if you don't mind. I need to sit down before I fall down." They stared at her in shock and she limped over and virtually collapsed onto the bench. She winced as she raised her foot up. They looked at her with concern and she motioned to her ankle, wincing again. 

"You remember I told you I couldn't skate professionally any more, because of what happened to my ankle. Well, there was always a chance that I could do more damage to it, well, looks like I have. When I landed from that spin it was everything I could do not to collapse. So, can someone please very carefully remove my skate for me? And get me some ice. Lots of ice." Nosedive moved to get the ice and Tanya sat down on the bench and very carefully unlaced her boot. Jessie hissed in pain and closed her eyes a moment. Tanya gasped at how black and blue her foot was. 

"Looks like a bad sprain or might even be broken." 

"God I hope not." Just then Nosedive arrived with some ice in a tea towel and handed it to Tanya. 

"Er this is gonna sting." 

"That's okay Tanya, I'm used to it by now. Sometimes if I've been skating for a few hours if I don't put some ice on it I can't walk the next couple of days. So I usually am careful, but I wasn't this time. Oh well." She winced as Tanya put the ice on it. The siren sounded and she looked up at them. 

"Go on. Go finish your match! I'll be fine." 

"You're sure?" 

"Go!" The ducks all filed out and Wildwing paused for a moment. 

"Will you be alright?" His eyes were concerned. 

"I'm okay Wildwing, seriously. Go!" He looked at her and nodded. He went back onto the ice and the brave face she was putting on for them disappeared. She closed her eyes in pain and then quickly opened them again when she heard someone enter the box. She hissed in not only pain but also recognition. 

"What do you want? I thought I made it clear I wouldn't be a party to your plans." 

"Your going to take us into that computer room and get us that information otherwise you'll find yourself needing a permanent walking stick." She paled but stared defiantly at him. 

"Look Logan, you either leave me alone now otherwise I'm going to call security on you." He snarled again and lunged at her. She tried yelling but was unable to, as he clamped his hand over her mouth. She tried struggling but to no avail. She was in the wrong position to struggle and was distracted by the pain in her foot. He manhandled her to her feet and twisted her arm up behind her. He pushed her in front of him and out of the back entrance to the booth. She limped slowly along but he showed her no mercy. They made it through the corridor and waiting in the passageway was Isomoto and Haus. She frowned at them both but stumbled as Logan pushed her into the passageway. She whirled to face him only to find him pointing a gun at her. He motioned for her to lead the way to the duck's lair. 

"You're not going to get away with this. The ducks will know that it's you that accessed their computer." Logan snorted with contempt. 

"No they wont. Not when we leave the body of a saboteur lying at the floor of the computer, having been accidentally electrocuted by the computer she was trying to get into." 

"They won't buy it. They know that you've been trying to get their technological secrets. You won't make it stick!" 

"That doesn't matter. By the time they figure out what happened, we'll be long gone and the information will be in safe hands." 

"I don't think so." 

The match had been pretty intense in the second quarter. The crowd was hyper due to Jessica's performance and both teams were inspired. Wildwing got checked against the boards near the team box and glanced in to check on Jessie. Only she wasn't there and the ice was melting slowly on the floor. Something wasn't right. He signalled for a time out and the ducks gathered around him. He motioned behind him. 

"Jessie's not there. Anyone see her leave?" 

"I thought I saw someone enter the box Wildwing but when I looked back everything seemed okay. I thought it was Phil. Obviously it wasn't." He pointed to where Phil's silhouette was against the windows of his office. The umpire motioned that the time out was up and Wildwing made a decision. 

"Nosedive. Go look for her, make sure she's okay. If not, call for back up." 

"Sure bro." Nosedive skated off the ice and the umpires signalled to resume the game. Wildwing did with just a hint of trepidation. Anyone of them could have checked on Jessie but his brother seemed to have formed a bond with the Australian, and besides, with all the extra training he had been taking the last few months, he could defiantly take care of himself. 

Nosedive quickly took his skates and helmet off. He walked through the change room and heard voices in the passageway. He glanced around and quickly brought his head back in. shaking his head he activated his arm and his hockey uniform disappeared and armour reappeared. 

"....you won't make it stick!" Jessie sounded frightened but her voice was strong. 

"That doesn't matter. By the time they figure out what happened, we'll be long gone and the information will be in safe hands." Time to take action he thought. 

"I don't' think so." 

Acting on the momentary distraction that Nosedive provided Jessie spun around on her good foot and lashed out with a sidekick at Isomoto, who was closet. He was distracted and didn't see it coming. Her foot connected with his head and he jerked back and hit it on the wall. He slid to the ground unconscious. She turned to find that Nosedive had wrestled Logan to the ground. Haus was trying to pull him off Logan. With a yell she leapt into the air and connected again with her bad foot against his shoulder. She yelled in pain and landed badly. He stumbled back but she was on him in a flash and swung out with her fist and connected with his head. He tried to block her blows but to no avail. She followed up with a jab to his stomach and then another to the side of his head. He slid to the floor dazed and no longer a threat. She turned on her good foot to find Nosedive quite happily trussing Logan up like he was a Christmas turkey. She leaned against the wall, wincing in pain, and smiled wanly at him. 

"I've never been so happy to see anyone in my life. Thanks. It wasn't looking good for a moment there." 

"Hey, what else do you need a terrifically talented duck for but to vanquish your enemies." 

"Dive you've been watching Robin Hood movies again haven't you?" He laughed and looked up at her. She was smiling but was standing on one foot and obviously in pain. 

"Okay. Now we Klegghorn. And you a doctor." She sighed and crossing her arms she smiled ruefully. 

Three hours later and it was three very unhappy IOC delegates in jail and one very sore delegate at Anaheim General Hospital. Nosedive and Mallory had accompanied Jessie to the hospital while Wildwing and Duke took care of the paperwork for the arrest of the delegates. Luckily the security cameras had caught everything that had happened and that had sealed their fate. Jessica had called her boss and received praise for the handling of the situation. She had also received a telling off for endangering herself like that. She looked up from the bed she was lying in as Nosedive and Mallory came in. 

"So, what's the verdict?" She grimaced. 

"It started off badly sprained but then I sorta broke it when I hit Isomoto. So it's going to be in plaster for about six weeks. But first when I get home in three days time I have to go have an operation to put a pin in it. Then plaster for six weeks, then about another six weeks of rehab and then if I'm lucky I'll be able to walk without a limp. But my skating days are virtually over. As it is my doctor back home will probably even stop me competing in karate tournaments as well. Oh well, these things happen I suppose." 

"But skating is your life, even I can see that." 

"I know Mal, but it can't be helped. Besides, once I'm all healed up I'm taking up a new position with the IOC. I'll be a full time investigator for them, making sure all the rules are followed. So it will be a nice challenge for me. Plus I get to do heaps of travelling as well." 

"Sounds good. But won't you miss skating." Her face fell and she looked at them and they could see the suppressed pain in her eyes. 

"Yeah I will. But every so often I'll be able to pull the skates on and have a go." 

Two days later. 

The ducks were gathered in the foyer again at the pond. This time to say goodbye to Jessica. She was on crutches and had the day previously recorded all her statements for the police. She would be testifying via satellite when the others were brought to trial. She hobbled along and stood in front of each of the ducks in turn. 

"Tanya, thank you for looking after my foot and answering some really silly questions for me." 

"Your welcome. And stay off that foot!" 

"Grin. Peace be the journey." She managed to bow slightly and he returned it. 

"Duke. Don't get caught mate, I'd have to bail you out!" 

"As if that would ever happen." She laughed and stood in front of Mallory. 

"Mal, don't let them get you down. And practice what I showed you." 

"I will. It'll be fun to see the look on his face when I try it on him." They both laughed and she moved to the two brothers. Nosedive grinned and Wildwing smiled. 

"Thank you both, for you help and trust." She held out her hand and Wildwing took it in his. 

"Thank you. If you hadn't done what you did, we'd be short a computer right now." 

"I'd do it again in a flash." She turned to Dive. 

"Mate. What can I say. You've got my e-mail address. Use it." 

"All the time." He gave her a quick hug and looked serious, well as serious as Nosedive ever got. "Look after yourself." 

"I will." She looked at the assembled ducks. "Thank you all for you help." She hobbled to the waiting cab and waved goodbye. They watched it leave and dive looked at his brother. 

"There goes one good lady." 


End file.
